Lions Volleyball Sweeps Thiel 3-0

The Lions (11-4) swept the match by scores of 25-18, 25-22, and 25-21.

Bradley Colditz (Upper St. Clair, PA/Upper St. Clair) led Penn State Altoona in kills, tying his season-high total of 15 while adding six digs and one block assist. Brandon Arentz (Mount Wolf, PA/Northeastern) added eight kills, four digs, and one block assist.

Ryan Dry (Douglassville, PA/Daniel Boone) led all players in the match with four total blocks, tallying two solo blocks and two block assists to go along with four kills. Brian Sheddy (Shrewsbury, PA/Susquehannock) finished with nine digs, six kills, and a solo block, and Daniel Downs (Reading, PA/Daniel Boone) added four kills.

Thiel (5-10) kept things close in the first set before a late run helped Penn State Altoona pull away. Tied 16-16 after a kill from the Tomcats, the Lions used a kill by Colditz and an attack error to jump ahead by two points. Ahead 20-18 later in the set, Penn State Altoona reeled off five straight points -- capped by a service ace from Kisick -- to take the opening game.

Penn State Altoona came out on top after another closely-contested set in the second. Thiel trailed 20-15, but they battled back to tie the score 22-22. But the Lions again used a run of points to win the set, getting three straight on a service error, a kill by Downs, and an attack error to grab a three-point victory.

In the third set, the Lions overcame an early deficit. With Thiel ahead 8-5, Penn State Altoona used three Colditz kills and one Arentz kill to go up 9-8. Kills by Sheddy, Arentz, and Colditz later in the set helped keep the home team ahead, 20-18. The Lions again finished a set on a strong note, reeling off the final four points with a kill from Colditz and three Thiel attack errors to win the game and the match.

Penn State Altoona men's volleyball returns to North Eastern Athletic Conference competition during a tri-match at Wilson College this Saturday, March 4. The Lions face Lancaster Bible College at 2:00 p.m., then wrap up their day against Wilson at 4:00 p.m.

Photo (by Joel Nelson): Penn State Altoona freshman Ryan Dry takes a swing at the net during the Lions' 3-0 win over Thiel College on Wednesday night in the Adler Gym.